Archive for November 2010

In her Name Tales newsletter, Marcia Yudkin shares a disheartening Las Vegas Sun article about what happens to a company that chooses a name that resembles another company’s name. The story shows that anything can happen with a company’s name that even if the company does nothing wrong. The safest thing to do is not fall in love with one name or brand, but to have a few options and then research to see if anything comes close.

These resources help you with your naming and branding effort with a couple of what not to dos.

Articles

1. 5 Obvious Rules for Naming Your Product (That We Wish We’d Followed)
2. 8 Mistakes to Avoid When Naming Your Business
3. 10 Tips for Naming Your Company, Product or Service
4. 11 Ways to Play the Name Game
5. 50 Worst Company Names (Requires registration)
6. The Basics of Branding
7. The Best (and Worst) Business Names
8. Branding Dilemma: When to Use Your Own Name
9. Business Name and Tagline Generator
10. Create a Unique Company Name
11. Day2Day Activities: How they named their companies
12. How 10 Famous Technology Products Got Their Names
13. How they named companies – fact or fiction?
14. How to Create a Great Business Name
15. How to Create Company Names
16. How to Name Your Business
17. How to Select a Company Name
18. Hunt is on for world’s worst rebranding
19. Microsoft’s Zune Raises Ruckus in Hebrew — the reason you should verify your brand name in another language before selling it in other countries. Chevy Nova (no go) wouldn’t go over well in Spanish-speaking countries.
20. The Name Game
21. Naming Your Company, Product or Services [pdf]
22. Put Your Business Name to the Test and more from About.com
23. Tech’s Product Name Guru: Meet the man who coined BlackBerry, Azure and More
24. Think Search Before You Name Your Next Product
25. Wikipedia company name etymologies

Resources

1. Brainstorming domain names.
2. Brand Name Generator
3. Brand Naming
4. Building the Perfect Beast: The Igor Naming Guide to Creating Product and Company Name
5. CatchWord Naming Blog
6. Community Mottos and Nicknames. City names can provide inspiration.
7. The Funny Name Server
8. Latin dictionary
9. Name Tales
10. Naming Online
11. POP! Stand out in Any Crowd book.
12. Free Tools and Sites for Writers: Check the resources section for references.
13. Snark Hunting: The Naming and Branding Blog
14. US Patent and Trademark Office
15. Web 2.0 Name Generator
16. Writer’s Digest Flip Dictionary book

Ah, with all the vampire TV shows and movies out these days… I suppose the gaming industry has decided to feed the craze through computer games.

PC and Mac Catch of the Week: Love and Death: Bitten: Damon, a dark, handsome (What? Light and cute doesn’t cut it?) vampire cursed by an evil vampire queen, meets Victoria, a curious, young woman determined to save her village. After their chance meeting, each discovers the other can help overcome these dire circumstances. In Love & Death: Bitten, a Hidden Object Adventure, you’ll play as Victoria by day and Damon by night (Reminds me of Ladyhawke), solving unique puzzles, collecting and combining hidden items and unlocking secret passages. Will Damon and Victoria’s story end in love … or death?

Catch the deal for your PC! Use coupon code CATCH299

Catch the deal for your Mac! Use coupon code CATCH299.

This $2.99 Catch of the Week runs through Sunday, December 5 at 11:59pm.

Remember Big Fish Games has a Daily Deal offering a different game for $2.99 every day. (Look to the right.)

Copyright secured by Digiprove © 2010 Meryl Evans

I thought about naming this the Aquarium edition in honor of the field trip I went on with my son’s second grade class this week where I loved seeing my son’s face as he was in awe of some of the discoveries. (Like in this photo.) However, Thanksgiving is a delightful holiday, perhaps my favorite because it contains no pressure and no stress. The only stress for some folks may be the cooking. There’s no shopping for gifts, sending holiday wishes and preparation outside of cooking like decorating the home.

My mom does all the cooking. And guess what? She says Thanksgiving is her favorite holiday. Her and Dad’s anniversary always falls around Thanksgiving. They married on Thanksgiving in 1955. Though Dad passed away in 2007, I sent her a note on her anniversary date. Mom appreciated the senitment. So if you know someone whose spouse has passed away, go ahead and drop ‘em a line on their anniversary date. Just because a mate is gone doesn’t mean you have to forget the date.

Just be with your fave people (OK, maybe Uncle youknow gets on your nerves — remember people don’t live forever and you don’t have to see them daily)  loved ones and relish the time together. For my family, add “watch the Dallas Cowboys.” Yeah, yeah… they lost in an exciting come from behind game. You gotta give ‘em credit for trying when their playoff hopes are long gone.

Brain food…

• How to Enchant Your Customer: I rarely link to popular sites and experts, but this one from Guy Kawasaki is a worthy read.
• How to Be an Original in a Blogosophere Polluted with Regurgitations: I’ve covered topics that many others have. One thing I try to do that no one else can… be me without focusing on me as my life is not that interesting.
• Six Dilemmas That Freelancers Face Over the Holidays: I take some time off. I hope you do, too. Gotta give that brain of yours a break and experience joy.
• achieving, without goals: Yes, it’s possible.

And for fun because we’re allowed…

• Pac-Man Cookie Cutters: Is it me or do these shapes make those cookies look more delish?
• 12 Funniest Misspelled Billboards: Oddee says it best, “Misspelling is not good, but to have it in a super size panel makes it much worse.”
• Butterbeer?! Oh Yes, Friends! Butterbeer!:  Sugarbear’s recipe looks simpler than some of the others posted. I must just try this. I wonder how using sugar free cream soda compares.

Tell us about your Thanksgiving.

Copyright secured by Digiprove © 2010 Meryl Evans

A new Mystery Case Files game has come out in time to entertain folks who want to avoid the craziness that’s Black Friday or recover after. In Mystery Case Files: The 13th Skull, Sara Lawson’s husband mysteriously (if it weren’t, we’d have no game, right?) disappears shortly after they moved into a creepy (any other kind?) mansion in Louisiana. Sara’s daughter, Magnolia, believes that a vengeful pirate seeking to protect his missing fortune has kidnapped her father. The locals want nothing to do with the pirate’s curse, so the family turns to you to solve the case.

Download and try Mystery Case Files: 13th Skull Collector’s Edition.

Want more Mystery Case Files? Oh boy, do we have a lot! Other than Ravenhearst, you do not need to play them in order from oldest to newest. Actually, I don’t recall much connection between the Ravenhearst games.

• Mystery Case Files: Dire Grove
• Mystery Case Files: Return to Ravenhearst
• Mystery Case Files: Madame Fate
• Mystery Case Files: Ravenhearst

Copyright secured by Digiprove © 2010 Meryl Evans

Nice catch for Thanksgiving! Here’s a review of Diner Dash: Suite Success to see if it’s worth a look. You can still download it and try it before buying.

PC and Mac Catch of the Week: Diner Dash: Suite Success: When Quinn’s new travel business hits a snag, she needs Flo’s patented elbow grease to help renovate and run hotels all over DinerTown! Experience a Hotel Dash as you deliver guest’s luggage, drop off room service and provide extra towels and blankets! Along the way you will use your tips to decorate and restore each hotel back to its original charm. Watch out for the mysterious mishaps and accidents that threaten your progress in this fast-paced time management game.

Catch the deal for your PC! Use coupon code CATCH299

Catch the deal for your Mac! Use coupon code CATCH299.

This $2.99 Catch of the Week runs through Sunday, November 28 at 11:59pm.

Remember Big Fish Games has a Daily Deal offering a different game for $2.99 every day. (Look to the right.)

I’ve been watching CaptionFish for weeks eagerly waiting for a local theater to carry Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 1 with rear window captioning. I have been Harry Potter movies right when they came out and without captions, but I’d rather go once and get the full experience. Daughter did catch the midnight show and reported when she got home: “I’m home. It was amazing. Good night.”

First the Texas Rangers make it all the way to the World Series and wins one game. Now FC Dallas, a team in the original sport known as football (soccer in only the U.S.), heads to its first-ever Major League Soccer Cup final! I guess the other Dallas-area sports teams are trying to make up for the Dallas Cowboys’ embarrassing season. (Oh, and the Cowboys managed to pull out a win in the first game with Jason Garrett coaching.) Maybe Thanksgiving won’t be Cowboy-less after all.

Brain food…

• Mobile emulators: With more people accessing the Internet on mobile devices, you don’t want to lose opportunities with your website — so you want to test to see how it looks on different devices. Two resources: http://ready.mobi and 10 Excellent Tools for Testing Your Site on Mobile Devices.
• PC Magazine‘s Favorite Blogs 2010: Web Worker Daily made the list! I haven’t written for them in a while; great to have confirmation they’re an amazing resource for telecommuters.
• When it comes to writing, economize: Excellent advice for new and experienced writers.
• Book Blurbs and Interior Design: The Creative Penn shares tips for writing the back blurb and picking the right interior designer for your book.

And for fun because we’re allowed…

• 12 Coolest Doors: First I’ve seen such unusual doors like these.
• 10 Funniest Windows Errors: Ah, I remember my first computer error that drove me batty: “REENTER?” Now, that may look logical to “re-enter” something… but this was 1984. Without the dash, I read it as “r-ee-nter” (like “renter with a long e) as opposed to “re-enter.” And speaking of old computers and 8-bits…
• Pixel Star Wars: Welcome Back to the 8-Bit Days: Games on the Apple ][+ contained stick-figure style graphics, blocky graphics or text-only a la Zork.
• Joy of Tech on the Beatles: Apple’s website announced that “Tomorrow would be unforgettable.” All it did was announced Beatles available in iTunes. Sorry… that’s not unforgettable.  I guess company forgot we can put our CDs in our computers and transfer the songs to iTunes. (I’ve had Beatles on my MP3 for a long, long time.) C’mon. Aw, dang it. Now company has  me talking about it — bet that’s what it wanted.

PC and Mac Catch of the Week: Veronica Rivers: Portals to the Unknown: Explore the Portals to the Unknown with rescue pilot Veronica Rivers in this hidden object game. Uncover equipment and clues as you search the world for a missing team of geologists. Exciting mini-games challenge you to unlock the secret power of the portals. Exotic and dangerous locations will test your eye and your courage as you draw closer to solving the puzzle of the Portals!

Catch the deal for your PC! Use coupon code CATCH299

Catch the deal for your Mac! Use coupon code CATCH299.

This $2.99 Catch of the Week runs through Sunday, November 21 at 11:59pm.

Remember Big Fish Games has a Daily Deal offering a different game for $2.99 every day. (Look to the right.)

Copyright secured by Digiprove © 2010 Meryl Evans

Credit: The US Army

My dad was a veteran. My husband is a veteran. True story: They both worked at Carswell Air Force Base in Fort Worth, which was how they came to Fort Worth where my mom and I eventually met them. Mom met Dad through a mutual friend while I met Paul through a bulletin board system (BBS).

This sounds old — but I was swamped this week as I had a lot of volunteer stuff going on yesterday and today… so letcha getcha hot links now.

Brain food…

• Rockmelt Is Facebook’s Browser?: I read about Rockmelt and wondered why anyone would want to create another browser even with Netscape’s Marc Andreesen behind it. Also, it only works with Facebook. My prediction: other browsers will adopt some of the ideas presented in Rockmelt. Can’t see Rockmelt joining the biggies. [Link: Alan K'necht]
• Getting Your Foot in the Door with Fillers: Less pressure to come up with a full fledged article and a good way to build up a little portfolio. Key: READ the publication before you query. Can’t tell you how many times people (that I don’t consider writers) break that rule.
• 5 Staggeringly Simple Ways to Create Custom Facebook Landing Tabs: I need to think about how I can help a nonprofit org do this. Ah… time.
• Stick a Fork in Me: I’ve been fortunate to have payment issues only twice in the 10 years I’ve been in business. Disgusted at how Lori’s clients are treating her. Every writer should read this post.
• What Will the Future of Business Cards Look Like: Just wrote an advice column on this topic. Need a cross-platform solution.

And for fun because we’re allowed…

• Coin Sofa. Well, that’s something I can do with my dad’s coin collection… build things. [Link: Guy Kawasaki]
• 25 Nostalgic Photos Comparing Past to the Present: If you could do one of these… what would you choose? I’d choose my childhood home in Fort Worth.
• 15 Hilarious Newspaper Mistakes and Apology Notes: Bonus points for the first one. Gotta be a cool crew because they can laugh at their mistakes.

One final note… I’m disappointed in my local newspaper. They won’t print a free weekly TV guide anymore. Now they’re charging $0.75 per week. No, thanks. At least, I still subscribe… you should be happy to have subscribers … not add another reason for us to stop reading.

How do you start your day? I still start mine with print newspaper and a small cuppa coffay.

Copyright secured by Digiprove © 2010 Meryl Evans

Hey, you. If you haven’t bought a computer game from Big Fish Games, here’s your chance to get a game for $4.99. Visit Big Fish Games, find something, try it (before you buy)… and if you like it, buy it with this coupon code: NEW499.

Mac and PC Catch of the Week: Strange Cases: The Tarot Card Mystery: FBI Agent Claire Ellery has a knack for getting assigned strange cases. The latest — a triple kidnapping in a small, unknown town. But what initially seems like an open and shut case soon unravels into something much more sinister. Follow the tarot cards left by an anonymous source and search mysterious hidden object scenes for clues to help Agent Ellery rescue the kidnapped girls and stop an evil ritual in this chilling puzzle adventure game.

Catch the deal for your PC! Use coupon code CATCH299

Catch the deal for your Mac! Use coupon code CATCH299.

If you like Strange Cases: The Tarot Card Mystery, you might want to try <a href=”http://www.bigfishgames.com/download-games/8290/strange-cases-the-lighthouse-mystery/index.html?channel=affiliates&identifier=af53c1a96f67&cid=tgz”>Strange Cases – The Lighthouse Mystery </a>.

This $2.99 Catch of the Week runs through Sunday, November 14 at 11:59pm.

Remember Big Fish Games has a Daily Deal offering a different game for $2.99 every day.

Copyright secured by Digiprove © 2010 Meryl Evans

This one’s short. Week was long, online reading time was short. Some folks said there were long lines on election night right before the polls closed. Did they forget there’s a cool and convenient thing called early voting? I was in and out within five minutes.

Brain food…

No brain food this time. My brain was fried this week with so much going on with flu in the house and work. But I took the time to check out some funnies because we need to laugh more.

For fun because we’re allowed…

• All-Time 100 Gadgets: According to Time…
• University Website: Too true especially since I’m starting to visit more college sites with a kid who is a high school junior.
• The 100 Best Signs at the Rally to Restore Sanity and/or Fear: Long, but worth it.
• Book Cover Fail: Good reminder of the importance of the book design’s message matching the title. I couldn’t find this book anywhere outside of Fail Blog, so maybe it was an early draft that won’t exist in the final draft.

What are you doing this weekend?

Copyright secured by Digiprove © 2010 Meryl Evans